Full Release

CHADRON, Neb. -- November 2, 2017 -- Twenty-seven Chadron State College football players qualified for Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football All-Academic honors in the 2017 season. Four were selected to the All-Academic First Team, chosen by the conference sports information directors, while 23 others qualified for Honor Roll.

Jackson Dickerson of Chadron, a sophomore, is a first teamer with a 3.75 grade point average in health and physical education. The slot receiver currently leads the conference and is ninth in the nation with 7.8 receptions per game, and is fifth in the league with 688 receiving yards.

Tyler Kiess, of Loveland, Colorado, is one of two Eagles earning his second First Team nod, at defensive line, after also taking a spot in 2015. With a GPA of 3.588 in business administration, he is one of two fifth-year seniors for the Eagles to qualify for conference academic honors, which require a minimum average of 3.3. Kiess is tied for fourth in the league with five sacks and is tied for 10th with eight tackles for loss. In addition to the two First Team nods, he is a two-time Honor Roll recipient.

The other second-time recipient is Keenan Johnson of Chadron, who was previously recognized as such in 2016 as a redshirt freshman. He leads the Eagles for the second consecutive season in total tackles, with 75, ranking him sixth in the conference and the fourth at linebacker. Johnson is a mathematics major with a GPA of 3.808.

Finally, placekicker Will Morgan earns First Team honors in his first season of eligibility for academic awards. The true sophomore from Fort Collins, Colorado, sports a 3.8 GPA in education, ranks tied for third in the league with seven field goals made, and is fourth in PAT accuracy with a 93.9 percentage.

The 23 players who made Honor Roll, with a minimum 3.3 GPA, are as follows: Stevann Brown (Casper, Wyoming); Sam Couch (Weatherford, Texas); Kevin Coy, Jr. (Davenport, Florida); Merritt Crabtree (Newcastle, Wyoming); Calder Forcella (Greybull, Wyoming); Colt Foster (Hemingford, Nebraska); Jon Hansen (Rapid City, South Dakota); Baylor Hayes (Cheyenne, Wyoming); Lane Jersild (Chadron); Tyler Lewis (Arvada, Colorado); Jared Maciejczak (Box Elder, South Dakota); Sam McKinley (Colorado Springs); Travis Mills (Rapid City); Jake Norris (Fort Morgan, Colorado); Kegan Parker (Castle Rock, Colorado); Matt Reader (Appleton, Wisconsin); Ryan Sayre (Castle Rock); Micah Scherbarth (Gordon, Nebraska); Baden Shelmadine (Alliance, Nebraska); Kyle Temple (Norfolk, Nebraska); Matt Vargas (Modesto, California); Matt Vinson (Box Elder); and Colton Wright (Albin, Wyoming).

Scherbarth leads all Eagle players with a 4.00 GPA. The top senior is Colton Wright, a four-time Honor Roll member, at 3.909. 

Coy, Reader, Temple, and Vinson, who was named to First Team in 2016, are all three-timers on the Honor Roll.